FMQs: Recap what happened at the first FMQs back after the summer recess
Recap what happened at FMQs.
FMQs: Follow along live 07/09/2023
Key Events
- Humza Yousaf faces his first FMQs back after the summer recess
- This comes only days after he revealed his programme for government, which focused on tackling poverty
- We’re expecting calls for a public inquiry into Professor Eljamel to be raised - although a ministerial statement on this is due later this afternoon
Hello and welcome back to FMQs!
Hello - Rachel Amery here. It’s the first FMQs back since the summer recess and I’m back with a live blog for you to follow along with to get all the latest news and analysis as it happens.
We know there are questions going to be raised on calls for a public inquiry into disgraced surgeon Professor Eljamel, and into drug deaths in Scotland - but I’m sure the programme for government and the ongoing concerns around potentially dangerous concrete in schools will come up too.
Quick recap
Let’s take a quick recap of the top stories of the week so far before FMQs gets started.
- Four schools with potentially dangerous RAAC concrete have been waiting since last year for vital revamp funding from the Scottish Government.
- There have been questions about how Humza Yousaf plans to pay for his programme for government, leading to concerns taxes will go up as a result.
- Dozens have protested outside the Scottish Parliament calling for a public inquiry to be opened into Professor Eljamel, a neurosurgeon who carried out numerous botched operations at NHS Tayside. Health Secretary Michael Matheson says he could be extradited from Libya to face action in Scotland.
- Medics are warning this coming winter could be as bad or even worse than last winter unless immediate action is taken on the health service.
Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth
Humza Yousaf has started off by paying tribute to the late Queen as we approach the first anniversary of her death.
The leaders of all the parties have paid tributes as well.
Douglas Ross kicks off FMQs
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has started off FMQs by questioning a proposal for some minor crimes to not be investigated in Aberdeenshire.
Humza Yousaf says these crimes will be ones with no risk, no harm, no vulnerability and no proportionate lines of inquiry for officers to investigate. He says these crimes will be recorded but no further action will be taken, which “seems like a proportionate approach”.
Douglas Ross says this is because of SNP funding cuts and questions why it is happening in the north-east and not in Humza Yousaf’s own constituency in Glasgow.
For a recap of this story, I wrote this earlier this week: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/trial-for-police-to-not-investigate-low-level-crime-in-scotland-sets-a-dangerous-precedent-4280759
“Open season for criminals"
Douglas Ross says this is telling people they can break the law and get away with it, branding it “open season for criminals under the SNP”.
Mr Yousaf responds to say these kinds of comments are panicking people and show why Douglas Ross should never be first minister.
Who had blaming Westminster on their bingo cards?
It hasn’t taken long, but already Humza Yousaf has said the reason there’s not enough money is because of Westminster austerity, etc.
Anas Sarwar takes to the stand
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is up next and is speaking about potentially dangerous RAAC in public buildings.
This is something our Education Correspondent Calum Ross has been looking into extensively - you can read his latest exclusive here: https://www.scotsman.com/education/raac-schools-scotland-four-schools-with-raac-have-been-waiting-since-last-year-for-revamp-funding-from-scottish-government-4283422
Anas Sarwar is asking how many schools will need to close or need additional building work carried out because of RAAC, and what resources will be made to local authorities.
The First Minister says some local authorities have asked to discuss funding, but added they are the ones that are responsible for the safety of their school estate. He adds he will write to Anas Sarwar with further detail about his other questions.
He adds the SNP government has a good track record when it comes to building new schools and adds 91 per cent of schools are classed as being in good or satisfactory condition.
Liam Kerr, Conservative MSP for the North East, is now asking about why the education attainment gap has increased.
Mr Yousaf says the attainment gap is “narrower than it was pre pandemic and shows progress in education recovery”. He added they are closing the poverty-related attainment gap, with good progress being made in literacy and numeracy rates, with record numbers of school leavers reaching positive destinations and record high numbers from deprived areas entering universities.
He adds he has “great confidence” his government is making good progress.
Pam Duncan-Glancy from Scottish Labour says in many areas the attainment challenge funding is being used to backfill cuts to core education funding and says this funding shows it is not improving the attianment gap in a substantial way.
Humza Yousaf says he disagrees as the government is making in roads - Pam Duncan-Glancy is shaking her head at his response.
The SNP’s Emma Harper is now asking about problematic drug use and what the government is doing to lower drug deaths. Ms Harper is also a nurse so will have personal interests here in improving these figures.
You can catch up on the latest drug death statistics here: https://www.scotsman.com/health/scotland-drug-deaths-crisis-hundreds-of-deaths-missing-from-official-drug-statistics-investigation-reveals-4267900
Ms Harper is now asking about the potential of having drug consumption rooms in Scotland. This would be dedicated facilities where drug users can go to take their drugs while supervised. It is hoped this will lead to less people overdosing, or at least have someone on hand to deal with it if that does happen.
You can take a look at something I wrote about this in the summer.
We now have some breaking news - Humza Yousaf has confirmed the Scottish Government will launch a public inquiry into Professor Eljamel, a neurosurgeon who carried out numerous botched operations in NHS Tayside.
I spoke to some of his victims yesterday when they came to parliament to stage a demonstration calling for a public inquiry.
This got a round of applause in the chamber.
You can read our story of what happened yesterday here: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/rogue-scottish-surgeon-professor-sam-eljamel-could-be-extradited-from-libya-to-face-action-says-michael-matheson-4283394
The news there will now be a public inquiry into rogue surgeon Professor Eljamel already going down well with MSPs in the chamber.
Beyond the announcement of a public inquiry, the rest of FMQs hasn’t gone down well with the Conservatives. Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, says it is same old, same old.
You can read our breaking news story on the public inquiry into Professor Eljamel: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/fmqs-humza-yousaf-commits-to-public-inquiry-into-disgraced-surgeon-professor-sam-eljamel-4284282
That’s the end of the scheduled questions for this week, but we’ve moved onto supplementary and constituency questions.
Alexander Stewart, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has raised the issue of disturbances at the new HMP Stirling. He says there is screaming, shouting, swearing and banging at all times of the day and night, and says the government needs to take action on what residents have described as a “living hell”.
Veteran SNP MSP Christine Grahame clearly taken by surprise that she is due to speak on the culling of native wild species, and is flustering trying to get her papers together.
Humza Yousaf jokes we should forgive her because she’s “fairly new to the parliament” - that got a chuckle around the chamber.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.